1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cattle feeders, and more particularly, to a telescoping cattle feeder with a set of internal push bars that prevents waste by keeping the feed within the confines of the feeder.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a number of livestock feeders in which the feed (typically a large, round hay bale) is confined within a four-sided structure and the longitudinal sides are comprised of vertically oriented bars that are spaced widely enough so as to allow the livestock to feed off of the hay within the feeder. Some of these feeders even comprise sides that telescope inward so as to allow the livestock to continue to access the hay bale as its volume diminishes.
None of these feeders, however, comprises a set of internal push bars that are preferably removable for transport. The internal push bars serve to increase the distance between the feed and the livestock (but not so far as to prevent the livestock from accessing the feed) so as to ensure that any hay that is dislodged from the bale by the livestock falls to the ground inside (and not outside) of the feeder. If the hay falls to the ground within the feeder (that is, just inside of the two longitudinal walls), then the livestock will continue to feed on it. If the hay falls to the ground outside of the feeder, then it will be trampled and is not likely to be consumed by the livestock. By providing a set of internal push bars, the present invention minimizes waste and maximizes the amount of feed that is actually consumed by the livestock.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,353 (Groezinger, 1974) discloses a haystack feeder in which six panels are hinged together at adjacent ends to form the feeder. The hinging is configured so as to allow the feeder to collapse inwardly into two triangular configurations as the cattle eat away the haystack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,040 (Martin, 1992) discloses an animal feeder comprised of an outer cage of bars through which cows pass their heads and necks and an inner cage, which holds a cylindrical hay bale. The device includes a trough extending between the two cages so that any hay that falls from the cow's mouth while feeding is caught in the trough. None of the walls of this feeder is collapsible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,800 (Pirok, 1995) discloses a manger for large, round hay bales. The manger comprises a square box at the bottom to keep dry any hay that falls from the bale. Vertical posts at each corner of the box are connected by horizontal cross braces. Slanted bars are attached to the upper horizontal bars and slant toward the center of the lower box. The slanted bars support the hay and prevent the cattle from entering the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,519 (Wilkinson, 1996) discloses a bale feeder in which two side frames are connected to a bottom frame. The side frames are connected by a front side rail and a rearward side rail. Chains are used within the frames to hold the hay inside the feeder while allowing the livestock to reach the hay.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,555,815 (Hofer, 2013) discloses a livestock feeder containing one or more large hay bales. The feeder is comprised of a base, a bunk wall extending upwardly from the base to surround a lower bunk area, and a hopper wall spaced above the bunk wall. The hopper wall surrounds an upper hopper area that allows a large bale to fall through to the lower bunk area.